At noon on August 31, 1939, at nearly 12 o'clock, the Minister of Defense, Field Marshal Schleicher, personally arrived at the General Headquarters of the Eastern Front in Stettin, bringing with him a document that would decide the fate of all mankind.

Hersman immediately summoned the middle and senior officers of the Eastern Front headquarters and read out the contents of the document in the conference room.

"Operational Order No. 1:

Supreme Commander of the Wehrmacht;

Secretary of Defense/General Staff/Headquarters of the Eastern Front;

Top Secret Document No. 170 of 1939;

Conveyed only to officers;

Berlin;

August 31, 1939.

Operational Order No. 1:

1. Now that all political possibilities for the peaceful elimination of the intolerable situation in Germany on the eastern frontier have been exhausted, I have decided to resolve it by force.

2. The attack on Poland was to be carried out in accordance with the preparations made for the 'white plan', but there was a change on the part of the Army, which was now almost complete in its build-up. The distinction of tasks and operational objectives have not changed.

Time of attack: 4:45 on September 1, 1939.

At the same time, action was also taken against the Gdynia-Danzig Bay and the Dissau Bridge.

Third, on the Western Front, it is important to let Britain and France ......

Signed: Kaiser Wilhelm, German Emperor; Co-signatory: Leader and Imperial Prime Minister Adolf. Hitler. ”

The war has begun!

Everyone in the conference room took a sharp breath unconsciously, and then focused their eyes on General Hersman, the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Front.

Hersman handed the document with "Operational Order No. 1" to his lieutenant, Lieutenant Colonel Spaydar, and then scanned the people in the room with a deep gaze.

"Everyone!" He exclaimed, "What is about to start is a world war!" ”

Then there was a moment of silence before he said, "You need not have the illusion of not going to war with England and France, but you need not worry about the future. It is not 1914, and the pattern of war has changed dramatically. The decisive factor was no longer trenches, machine guns, artillery and battleships. Rather, tanks, armored vehicles, trucks and airplanes. The war will be fought in an unprecedented pattern and rhythm, and the traditional army will be vulnerable to the mechanized and semi-mechanized modern army.

And we in Germany are fortunate to have seized this era of change, with the world's strongest aviation industry and the world's second-strongest automotive industry. In Europe, only we can get hundreds of thousands of huge armies on wheels and driven by internal combustion engines. Any enemy that stands in our way. will all be crushed mercilessly!

In another 24 hours, you will see how the army, which thinks it is the second largest in Europe, has collapsed in the face of our invincible Wehrmacht! Gentlemen, the mission of making Germany a leader in Europe and the world will be fulfilled in the hands of our generation! Please work hard! ”

Finally, Hersmann raised his arms and shouted: "Long live the German Empire!" Long live National Socialism! Long live the Emperor! ”

……

Woo, woo, woo......

The sirens of the assembly sounded over the military airfield in Greenhead, east of Berlin, who had just made a circle in the sky in a Zero, and another one led by Walter Brown, also a supplementary pilot. Rudolph, who was training in a two-plane formation with the Zero piloted by Novotny, climbed out of the cabin, and then subconsciously looked up at the sky and found nothing abnormal.

"Little Rudolph, what are you looking at? It's a rallying alert! "The captain of the supplementary training brigade. Adolfo, who excelled in the Spanish Civil War. Captain Garland yelled at him. "Let's go to the pilot's board!"

"Captain, are there going to be war?" Born in Austria, he joined the Austrian Air Force at 17 as a handsome pilot Walter. Novotny ran over. He was the same age as Rudolf and graduated from the Karlsruhe Air Force Non-commissioned Officer School (a famous German air force pilot school in World War I, which was closed after the war and reopened in '31).

Speaking of which, the training of Luftwaffe and naval aviation pilots in this era was really very strict. Cadets like Rudolf and Novotny, who have long been active duty soldiers and have long received their pilot licenses, are required to re-enter the A/B level flight training (primary flight training) after entering the Karlsruhe Air Force Non-commissioned Officer School.

Start by learning to fly in a trainer aircraft such as the Clem 35, Fw44 or Fokker D.20. They also learn about aerodynamics, aeronautical engineering, elementary navigation, meteorology, flight procedures, and receiving and receiving telegrams.

After passing all the above subjects. They will be able to obtain an A2 certificate and then go on to B-level training. Fly high-performance trainers, twin-engine large aircraft, and older fighter jets for flight training. By the time they have completed their B2 training, all cadets have at least 100-150 flight hours (if they have not obtained a pilot license before joining the Air Force).

Then there is specialized C-level training -- C-level training is divided into several specialties, such as twin-engine fighters, bombers, reconnaissance aircraft, single-engine fighters, dive bombers, and torpedo bombers. Training is longer and more demanding. It is necessary to fly not only during the day, but also for flight training at night and in adverse weather conditions.

If you add the air command course (the Air Force Non-commissioned Officer School is for the training of Air Force officers), it takes 2 years to complete the entire school program of the Air Force Non-commissioned Officer School in Karlsruhe.

After graduating from the Karlsruhe Air Force Non-Commissioned Officer School, he was able to become a supplementary pilot. It is also necessary to learn the tactical methods of combat units in the supplementary training teams under the combat regiments (wings)/brigades.

Moreover, all training is carried out according to the strictest "German standards"! So every German pilot who could fly an airplane into the air to fight was the elite of the elite. This is also an important reason why the Luftwaffe was invincible in the early stages of the war.

"War? It has nothing to do with you. "Adolf. Garland narrowed a half-blind eye and smiled at Novotny, "By the time you've finished your supplementary training, the war will probably be over." ”

"It can't be over!" Rudolph chimed in. "After the fight against Poland, there will be France and England!"

"France? United Kingdom? Garland and the two "child pilots" walked briskly to the conference room, "Will you?" It's hard to say. ”

"Definitely!" "A week ago we were flying in circles over the North Sea, and we were flying for six hours at a time...... Almost 1,800 km, isn't that the distance to and from the UK? ”

"," Garland sneered, "that's to familiarize you with flying at sea, and you're all carrier-based pilots, and you're going to be on an aircraft carrier in the future." ”

But out of Adolf. Garland's prediction, Rudolph's judgment was soon partially verified. The ace pilot who also made great achievements on the battlefield in Spain, the commander of the 1st Combat Aviation Regiment of the HNA Werner. Major Molders announced the battle plan in the pilots' room. Not the "First Operational Order", but the plan taken out after the receipt of the order after opening the "Operational Plan Package".

Twenty-six or seventeen years old, and very young, but known as "Daddy Molders". In a very calm tone, Moldes said: "Go to bed at 6 o'clock tonight with the lights out, and blow the wake-up horn at 2:30 a.m. tomorrow." In addition, everyone immediately packed their bags, and on September 3rd we returned to Wilhelmshaven. ”

……

"Armored Meyer." Stationed at the headquarters of the 3rd Panzer Division in eastern Pomerania near the Polish border (Polish Primorsky region), the commander of the 3rd Panzer Division, who had just announced the "First Operational Order". Feng. Major General Schwebenburg shouted to the commander of the armored reconnaissance vehicle company directly under the division headquarters. Lieutenant Meyer's nickname.

"General," said the Waffen-SS Kurt. Lieutenant Meyer was a tall and extremely strong man who had fallen from the second floor while attending the police academy, resulting in more than 20 fractures, only to recover miraculously, earning him the nickname "Armored Meyer".

"What do you command?" Armored Meyer saluted the commander of the division, who was born into a nobleman and held the title of baron.

"Come here," Major General Schwebenburg beckoned, bringing Panzer Meyer to the map table beside him. "Do you know what Combat Order No. 1 means?"

"There's going to be a war!" Armored Meyer replied in an irrepressibly excited tone.

"That's right," Schwebenburg said, pointing to the Tuhora Forest on the Polish side of the map, "we're going to break through here!" If no new order is given by 4:30 a.m. tomorrow, your company will be the first to cross the border. ”

The armored reconnaissance battalion was the vanguard of the division, and the armored reconnaissance vehicle company in the armored reconnaissance battalion became the vanguard of the vanguard because it had 18 wheeled armored vehicles equipped with machine guns and 20 machine guns.

According to the plan, Panmoured Meyer and his company were to use the gap in the shelling to break into Polish territory for fire reconnaissance and, if possible, to capture several villages in the Tuhora forest, open the road through the forest, and clear the way for the assault of the entire Panzer Division.

"Your Excellency, I understand my mission!" Panzer Meyer, like most SS-born fanatics, had no fear of war. "I will open the way to victory for the whole division!"

"Very well," Rear Admiral Schwebenburg nodded with satisfaction, "but don't be too aggressive, your unit is a company of armored reconnaissance vehicles, not an armored training battalion with tanks No. 3 and No. 4, and if you encounter a large force of the enemy, you don't need to fight." ”

"Understood!"

"Okay," Maj. Gen. Schwebenburg patted the big SS centreback on the shoulder, "rest well, you and your men will have a hard time starting tomorrow." Because our 3rd Panzer Division will take on the most difficult and onerous tasks! We will be the sharp knives and sharp blades that will destroy Poland! (To be continued.) )